Surah Al-Humaza: Verse 2 - الذي جمع مالا وعدده... - English

Tafsir of Verse 2, Surah Al-Humaza

ٱلَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ

English Translation

Who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it.

English Transliteration

Allathee jamaAAa malan waAAaddadahu

Tafsir of Verse 2

who has gathered riches and counted them over

Who pileth up wealth and layeth it by,

The third evil quality denounced severely in this Surah is greed, that is, the selfish hoarding of wealth, against which is the stern warning of the dreadful end of those who have passion for worldly riches. This verse, however, refers to the love of, and passion for, wealth which is accumulated and counted over and over again. Other verses and Ahadith bear testimony to the fact that amassing of wealth in principle is not prohibited or sinful. Therefore, verse [ 2] must be interpreted in the light of those verses and traditions. This verse purports to say that anyone who accumulates wealth and does not pay his obligatory dues or has greed for wealth that leads him to pride and arrogance, or has love of wealth that engrosses him in the hoarding of wealth so profoundly that he forgets his religious obligations, his practice is condemned in the strongest terms, and a person attaching such profound love, greed and passion for material riches will suffer eternal perdition as described in the verses that follow.

Verse 2 - Surah Al-Humaza: (الذي جمع مالا وعدده...) - English